F1 | From Sainz to Ricciardo, the leap in quality needed for McLaren

With the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes, the excellent McLaren seen in 2020 could take a substantial step forward. Last season's third constructors' place would be the minimum objective of the Woking team, perhaps thinking even further, with a view to 2022 and the new technical regulations. We don't want to take everything too much for granted, but it's clear that Mercedes will be the overwhelming favorites in 2021, Hamilton is unlikely to win the world championship, but it's more plausible to think that Ricciardo and company could really annoy Red Bull on several occasions over the of the championship.

Mercedes is back, the new MCL35M can have its say

Let's start with the engine question: after the separation at the end of 2014, McLaren ran into incredible problems on the power unit side, especially with Honda, with blame that should be divided more or less equally between the two manufacturers. The situation has certainly improved with the arrival of Renault, but above all with the upheaval of the sports management asset: Andreas Seidl gave peace of mind and awareness to the historic British team, and the hiring of the promising duo Sainz/Norris has restored luster after the failures of Alonso/Button and Alonso/Vandoorne, clearly not helped by cars well below expectations.

Third place in 2020 is the right reward for the hard work done, but the arrival of the German engine will certainly be able to give a further boost to the new MCL35M, considering the fact that the car will inevitably be much more revolutionary than the competition, which has been able to change very little since last year due to regulations that are as stringent as they are abominable. Controversy aside, having the Mercedes engine under the bonnet brings McLaren significantly closer to the top, at least on paper, and be careful, dear Red Bull, because you're so good at words, but with facts you've gotten very few things right in recent years. Moreover we saw it as the new home car from Woking is totally different compared to last season, very tapered at the rear and in the bellies, and with a completely new nose. In short, everything is there to do well.

From Sainz to Ricciardo, the necessary leap in quality

The purely personal feeling is that McLaren has also made a significant leap in quality with the Sainz/Ricciardo rotation. Nothing against the Spanish driver, now at Ferrari, but the former Red Bull is certainly more used to competing for important positions: seven victories, all with the Austrian team and 31 podiums in his career so far, two of which with the Renault car which brought it back to the top three last season after years of darkness. Not insignificant results for a rider aware that he is probably on the last chance of his career to be able to fight for the world title. Thinking about it already in 2021 seems extremely optimistic, but it is certainly a starting point for 2022 and the next regulatory change which should bring the various teams closer together.

A combination, that Ricciardo-McLaren which already makes the many fans of the Woking team around the world dream. The Australian seemed energetic in his first days at the factory, and the pairing with Norris promises to be a spectacle not only off the track. He brings experience, quality and a not bad CV. This is the right recipe for returning to success, all topped off with a Mercedes-style appearance, with the German company's engine mounted under the bonnet. McLaren will not fight for the world championship this year, let's get it out of our heads, but he will be able to get a lot of satisfaction in the near future by also taking advantage of the right opportunities.